Hip-hop history in HBO hopper

Mini explores 1976 to 1992 through fictional eyes

HBO, which has gone “From the Earth to the Moon” to “The Corner” and headed to war with “Band of Brothers,” is now taking on the hip-hop world.

Edmonds Entertainment and Keri L. Selig’s Intuition Prods. have partnered with Vibe magazine to develop a six-hour miniseries at the pay TV network that tells the history of hip-hop through the lives of three fictional characters.

Tracey E. Edmonds, president-CEO of Edmonds Entertainment, and her husband, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, are exec producing along with Selig.

Project, in early development at HBO, is based on Alan Light’s book “Vibe History of Hip Hop.” Light also will have a hand in producing, and Seth Svi Rosenfeld is writing the bible. Edmonds’ Sheila Ducksworth will co-exec produce, and the company’s Evan Hainey will co-produce.

“When I read the galleys, I flipped — I didn’t know any of this stuff, and that really surprised me,” said Selig, a former exec at Warner Bros.-based Bel-Air Entertainment who started Intuition in February. “I think it will surprise a lot of people.”

Selig, who is repped by the William Morris Agency, said the series will feature three “composite” characters whose lives intersect much like those in “Traffic” did.

“The telefilm will capture the seminal moments of hip-hop from 1976 to 1992, as seen through these characters whose lives will intersect and diverge with real historical nonfictional characters,” Tracey Edmonds added.

Edmonds said the project ends at 1992 because there’s simply too much to tell between 1976 and the early ’90s. It also leaves the door open for a follow-up.

“Taking a historical look at hip-hop has never been more timely, with movies like ‘8 Mile’ coming out and noteworthy hip-hop-based news stories breaking all the time,” she said.

Edmonds Entertainment, which is repped by CAA, recently announced it will exec produce a CBS telepic about Harriet Tubman, starring Angela Bassett. Company, which is also producing a remake of “A Summer Place” for Warner Bros., is probably best known for Showtime drama series “Soul Food,” which it produces, in association with State Street Pictures, via Paramount Network Television.